Broken Hill is one of those places I had always wanted to visit but given it was only three hours away, I never wanted to ‘waste’ my weekends or holidays to go and visit.  Overall, my assessment would be that it’s a really interesting place, of mismatched pieces that don’t seem to have been finished or put together properly, coupled with surprising elements of history, culture and beauty.

Having arrived late, we didn’t get much of a chance to check out our digs – the Broken Hill Racecourse – which although was much cheaper than a caravan park definitely lacked the finished amenity.  Which is fine if you’re not into character building experiences… like showering in make-shift showers set up in a working stable.

I applaud the club’s efforts in diversifying their income and with 30 caravans set up each night, is obviously a success!

That night, we awoke to find the fridge had stopped working so it was a mad dash to get everything from the freezer and into the Waeco. A rainy, dreary old day meant that we kept our exploration to that of the town, checking out Bells Milk Bar (sorry, but not sure what all the fuss is about), and a few of the galleries including the Pro Hart gallery which if not for cranky kids, would have been an interesting wander.  But alas, the girls were well and truly over it and after running up and down the catwalks of the gallery, it was time to depart!

The next day we headed out to the Living Desert & Sculpture Park, a protected enclave of flora and fauna situated out of Broken Hill.  Atop the hill nearby stands 12 sandstone sculptures created by artists from around the world.  I’m not art aficionado but I was impressed! The whole reserve, for the cost of $12, was definitely worth the visit!

Next it was Silverton, best known for the filming of Mad Max 2 and A Town Like Alice.  Silverton was a real highlight and after lunch at the Pub, we spent some time exploring the Mad Max Museum and the Silverton Gaol.  A long day for the girls, but we capped it off with a quick look at the Mundi Mundi Lookout and I have to confess, it was a better than expected day out!

Day 3 was a write-off after discovering an unusual sound coming out of the car… after dropping the caravan off we proceeded to leave the car at Holden and spent the next few hours frequenting McDonalds so the girls could play in the playground as well as the Westside Shopping Centre.

A late night realisation that we were about to head over the border which meant dealing with the fridge load of vegetables and at 9pm, cooked and froze it all!

And today, we moved on and made our way to Peterborough in South Australia, stopping at a lovely little caravan park with a site overlooking green paddocks, or at least I presume they are green – hard to see through the smudged windows!

And so this weekend we shall explore this old railway town and catch up on some laundry before heading to Port Augusta to get the fridge fixed.

Have you been to Broken Hill? Any top tips on the sites of Peterborough?